Electric outlet socket



Feb- 9, 1960 J. s. BROWN, JR 2,924,679

ELECTRIC OUTLET SOCKET Filed June 11, 195e INVENTOR Jsgv .5i mW/y, Ji.

BY Y

@E n Z ATTORNEYS United Staff?? ,Patent y2,924,619 ELECTRIC SOCKET Joseph S. Brown, Jr., Lewistown,` Pa. l" piAppricatto Jane 11,1958, serialv No.141,z74 t Claims. (Cnam-51.11)

`This invention relates to i improvements in electric sockets such as are usedin lamps, `on extension cords,'etc. to'jreceive' a threaded light bulb' or plug, and particularly to socketsL incorporating cut .olf switches.

y The generaljofbject o'f the"inventionfis to provide an electric socketwhich,` by' the elimination of lexposed metal, will be much safer to handlefandjsubstantially proof against shocking persons handling it.

Another object isV to 'providea socket of the kind described which will be capable" of manufacture by molding processes and assembled by unskilled labo'r without need fort'ools. p v p t A-'further object is the provision of an electric socket which'. can be manufactured at substantially less cost than those lnow ingeneral use. v i

. et anotherV object is to provide a socket which will halvethe electrical conductors integralvwith the bo'dy so that no breakage can occur.' v A Astill further Objectis to provide a socket having safety means to prevent shocks if the ngers are accidentally put int'o 'the open end;` r

Other objects of the invention will Abecome apparent fromy fthe following description of. practical embodiments thereof whenwtak'enin conjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form part of, `this specification.

In the drawings:

Figurer is aside elevation of an electric socket embodying the principles of the present Iinvention;

.Figure 2,is a vertical section through the socket, taken onithe 'linen 2`2 of Figure '1; Y.

v-`Figure 3` is a vertical seetionthrough the socket,`taken at 'rightangie's to' Figure 2 and on the `une 3 3 of Fig- Figure 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 4--4 of Figurep2, illustrating the means for releasably holding the switch rkey in its various positions; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section showing a modication of the structure shown in Figures 1 through 4.

In general, this invention concerns an electric socket which may be molded from plastic with metallic conductors in place, and made of several parts which can be readily assembled for use. It also contemplates means to automatically break the circuit to the socket proper when no light bulb, plug, etc. is in place.

Referring to' the drawings in detail, and first adverting to that form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 4, th socket is shown as comprising a body member 1, a switch key 2 and a cap 3. All of these elements will be molded of a suitable plastic which will preferably be fairly rigid but have some flexibility to allow the parts to snap fit together as will be described. This might be a synthetic rubber composition, or similar material.

The body will be molded to generally cylindrical shape having a socket recess 4 in one end. The recess will be formed with screw threads 5 to receive the threads of a bulb or plug. An opening 6 will be formed diametrically of the body to receive the/key 2. The opening 6 will be tapered for a portion o'f its length. At the bottom, the

rice

. 2 body will have an encircling ridge, or upstanding lugs, 7 to form a securing means for the cap 3.

Three metallic conductors are molded into the body in order to carry current to the socket 4; One will be a long conductor 8 extendingfrom the bottom of the` body into the socket 4'. This conductor will have its upper end 9 which is within the socket recess curved to match the threads Sand form part of thethread surface so as to make contact with the bulb or plug screwed into the socket.' A second conductor 10 extends from Vthe body bottom `to the opening 6 and has a portion 11 of its' length exposed within the opening and conforming to it. A third conductor 12eXtends from the opening 6 to the socket bottom and is exposed within the opening and in the socket. A contact button 13 may be placed on the to'p of the conductor 12 if desired. Conductors 8 and 10 will have binding'posts 14 and 15 respectively, to which electrical leads may be attached.

Cap 3 may be of any desired design, and serves to cover the binding posts andbared ends of electric leads 16. The cover will have a central opening 17 through which the wires may passyand a recess 18 around its free edge into which the rib or ridge 7 `may seat. AThe cap will' be placed on the end iofthe body and snapped into place so that `theV cap rim will move o'ver ridge 7 and allow the ridge to'seat in the recess 18.

The switch key- 2 has a central cylindrical section 19, which expands into an operating key 20 at the end and is tapered at `its other end to form a frusto-conical section 21. A keeper button, or other slight enlargement, 22 will serve to lock the key in place when it is inserted in the opening 6. The frusto-conical section of the vkey shank will fit in `the'taperedportion of the opening 6 and prevent the key from` being pressed too far inwardly of the body. At the same time the button 22 will prevent movement in a direction to withdraw the key from the body. Thus, the key will have a precise seating position within ythe opening. The button will no't hold the frustoconical section Aso tightly in the tapered portion of the opening that the key will not rotate freely. y

About midway the length of the key, and in the plane of the two conductors 10 and 12, two metallic contacto'r members23 will be embedded in thekey shank. The contactors will be spaced from one another by a central bar `24` of the insulating material of the key. l Each of the `inser ts will be ofwsufficient arcuate extent to`bridge the contacts 10 and 12 when the key is rotated to one posi# tion. In another position of the key, from the contact bridging position, the conductors 10 and 12 will engage the opposite inserts and therefore there will be no current ow between the conductors 10 and 12.

In order to hold the key in desired rotative positions, the key is provided with a `diametral opening 25 in which a coil spring 26 is placed. A ball 27 will be fitted in each end of the opening, on ltop of the spring, and these balls will cooperate with recesses 28 in the body o'f the socket to releasably hold the key in either its on or off position. It will be obvious that the balls can be pressed inwardly, compressing the spring to a point where the balls are entirely within the shank of the key and held in this position while the key is inserted. As soon as the key is in its seated position, the balls will be in the plane of the recesses 28 and upon rotation of the key 20 will seat in the recesses as will be well understood.

In Figure 5 of thedrawing a slightly modified structure is illustrated where a countersunk recess 29 is located centrally of the socket recess 4. The central conductor 12' will be sho'rter than in the form previously described and terminate at the bottom of the recess 29. The recess will have its upper end toed in slightly, as at 30, to hold a plug 31 in place. The plug will be snapped into position and normally held in its upward position against the toed in rim of the recess'by .means of a coil spring 32.

This spring will be formed of a suitable springl metal coated with an insulating material. The plug 31 has a depending contact 33 to-seat against the end of the conductor 12' when the plug is pressed'downwardly. The

plug will be of conducting material andwill form part -made with the end of the conductor 12'.

It will be evident that with both forms of the invention all of the parts maybe molded of a non-conductive plasticmaterial, and that they may be assembled Without tools, merely by snapping one section on, or within, another. This will form a very efficient socket which can be made very cheaply. With the structure employed in that form of the inventionshown in Figure 5, the safety facto'r of a break in the feed conductor when no bulb is in place has been provided. Y v

While in the above practical embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, it will be understood that the precise `details of structure shown and described are merely by way of illustration and the invention may take other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An electric outlet fixture comprising, a one-piece molded body of insulating material having athreaded socket therein and having an opening therethrough at right angles to the axis of the socket and spaced from the socket, a conductor molded in said body and extending from said socket to' the outside of the body at the end opposite the socket and spaced from said opening, a secits contactor bridging the conductors at the opening.

4. In an electric outlet fixture as .claimed in claim 1, said third conductor comprising two`a1igned sections, with one of the sections being projectable into the socket axial of the socket, and means to yieldinglyhold said projectable section projected into the`so`cket and out of contact with theother sectonof the conductor.

5. An electric outlet xture comprising, a one-piece molded body of insulating material having some resiliency, said body having a molded threaded recess therein to form a so'cket, said body having an opening completely therethrough at right angles tothe axis of the socket and spaced from the socket, the opening having at least pjart` of its lengthadjacent one end lconvergingly tapered towardthat end, a keyplug of molded insulatingmaterial having some resiliency and having ashape matching 'that of the opening including a tapered4 portio'n positioned in the opening, a retaining button integrally molded at the end of the tapered portion of the plug of greater crosssection than thetapered opening end toresiliently snap through the opening end upon endwise insertion o'f the key plug into the opening during assembly and retain the ond conductor molded in said body and extending from said opening to the outside of the body at a point adjacent the first-mentioned conductor, a third conductor molded in said body and extending from said opening to said socket, and a key plug of molded insulating material insertable in said opening for'rotation therein, said y key plug having a metallic contactor therein to bridge the conductors at said opening when the key plug is rotated to' one position. l

2. In an electric outlet fixture as claimed in claim 1, said insulating material of the body and the key plug having some resiliency, said opening being tapered for at least a part of its length adjacent one end of the openkey plugin the opening,.a conductor molded in the body and extending from the socket to the oppositer end'of the body spaced from the opening, conductors molded in the body and extending from thesocket tothe opening and from the opening tothe opposite end of the body adjacent the first-mentioned conductor, the key plug having a metallic contactor molded therein to bridge the `conductors at the opening when the key plugis rotated to one position, av cap of molded insulating material having some resiliency to t over the end of the body remote from the socket to' enclose the conductors at that end, and cooperating means on the body end and cap to permit the cap to snap into positionon the body end and be retained thereon. l

References Cited in the tile of [this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v 1,514,194 Blackburn Nov. 4,'1924 1,533,415 H0111` Apr. 14, 1925 2,179,797 Nemeth Nov. 14, 1939 2,503,040

Gradischnig Apr. 4, .1950 

